Hayne is a potter and lives with his wife, Mara Lavitt, a photographer, in Ivoryton, Connecticut. In school he managed to avoid any academic involvement with clay, and in 1992 he quit a perfectly good job at a newspaper to make pots. Hayne’s work has been shown at the American Craft Museum, and he’s been a frequent exhibitor at the Smithsonian Craft Show and the Philadelphia Museum Craft Show. His pots have been published in “Objects for Use: Handmade by Design” by Paul Smith, “Design Language” by Tim McCreight, “Clay: A Studio Handbook” by Vince Pitelka, “The Encyclopedia of Pottery Techniques” by Peter Cosentino, “Creative Pottery” by Deb Schwartzkopf, and a number of Lark Books. Hayne and Robbie Lobell are co-presidents of Studio Potter’s board of directors. 

Mara Lavitt is an award-winning photojournalist specializing in arts, culture, portraiture,and food. For thirty-five years, Mara was on the staff of two Connecticut newspapers, covering breaking news, human interest stories, arts, business and sports. She has been a full-time freelance photographer since 2014. Mara's photographs have won awards from National Press Photographers Association, Society of Professional Journalists, New England Newspaper and Press Association, United Press International and the Associated Press. Recent clients include Yale University, Westover School, Tribune Company, Connecticut Magazine, Quinnipiac University, Vassar College, University of Chicago, Marietta College, the Albert P. Sloan Foundation, Global Health Corps, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, United Way of Greater New Haven, Hearst Media, and the East Lyme Agriculture Commission.