“The new manager, John Smith is …”

Commas

I saw a sentence that started like this in an email message yesterday.

Problem:
A comma is missing.

Explanation:
The name “John Smith” is essentially an aside in the sentence.

In other words, the sentence could also have been written to begin as “The new manager is …”.

Therefore, inserting “John Smith” in the sentence requires a comma on either side.

Solution:
“The new manager, John Smith, is …”