John Middlebrook was recently named general manager -- vehicle brand marketing for the Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing Group of General Motors’ North American Operations, effective Jan. 1, 1998. He also continues to serve as general manager of GM’s Chevrolet Motor Division until that date.

Middlebrook, a vice president of General Motors Corporation since 1987, has been general manager of Chevrolet since 1996. Prior to joining Chevrolet, he had been general manager of GM’s Pontiac Division.

Born Jan. 26, 1941, in Lansing, Mich., Middlebrook holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute and a master’s degree in marketing from Michigan State University.

Middlebrook began his GM career in 1959 at Oldsmobile. He joined Pontiac in 1967, and was named assistant sales analysis manager in 1969. The following year, he became sales analysis manager. In February 1977, he was appointed director of marketing services, and in June 1977, he became zone manager for the division’s Washington, D.C. zone. In 1978, he was appointed director of marketing operations, and in 1979, he became Pontiac’s manager of product planning and development.

After being appointed director of passenger car planning for the General Motors Worldwide Product Planning Group in 1981, Middlebrook returned to Pontiac as director of car distribution, sales analysis and strategic planning in 1983. The following year he was named assistant general sales manager merchandising and operations for the division.

In January 1985, Middlebrook was named vice president in charge of sales, service and marketing for GM’s Saturn Corporation. Two years later he was elected a GM vice president in charge of the marketing and product planning staff. He became general manager of Pontiac Division in June 1989.

Middlebrook serves as the corporation’s key executive to the University of Chicago’s business school, and is on the boards of the following organizations: the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Michigan State University Business School Alumni Board, the Oakland University Board of Visitors and the Future Farmers of America Sponsors Board.