PITTSBURGH— Following the retirement of Michael Gissin, James R. Davies has been named president/CEO of Vision Benefits of America (VBA), a non-profit provider of vision insurance for employer groups.

Davies first joined VBA as a member of the board in April 2011 and was named chief operating officer in March 2013. Prior to joining VBA, Davies served as vice president, eligibility systems for CoreSource, a national third-party administrator.

Davies holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in insurance and risk management from Georgia State University. In addition, he holds the CPCU designation and has served as an adjunct professor of insurance at Millersville University and Georgia State.

After 30 years as president/CEO of VBA, Gissin founded the Pennsylvania Vision Foundation to assist people in receiving routine vision exams, prescription lenses and frames. According to a statement, the VBA board of directors expresses their appreciation to Gissin for his dedication and leadership.