Meridian Performance Appoints Former NFL Safety Barry Church as Strategic Advisor and Investor
CHARLOTTE, NC – November 18, 2025 – Meridian Performance Systems, the computer vision company transforming mobile devices into precision measurement tools, today announced the appointment of Barry Church as Strategic Advisor for Sports and Performance. Church, who is also an investor in Meridian, played nine seasons in the NFL including three seasons as a Captain, is now the lead analyst for the Dallas Cowboys. He brings extensive experience and expertise on and off the field to Meridian's sports performance offerings, use case validation, and expansion into professional and collegiate athletics markets.
"We are thrilled to welcome Barry to our advisory team as we revolutionize sports performance measurement," said Josh Kohn, CEO and Co-founder of Meridian Performance Systems. "His exceptional NFL career, combined with his passion for golf and commitment to making sports resources accessible to youth athletes, perfectly aligns with our mission to use technology to elevate human performance. Barry's insights from elite athletics will be invaluable as we expand our platform from golf into broader sports applications."
Church brings unparalleled expertise from his distinguished NFL career, where he compiled over 600 tackles, 10 interceptions, and participated in the 2017 AFC Championship with the Jacksonville Jaguars. A defensive leader throughout his career, he led his teams in tackles multiple seasons, recording 147 in 2013 and 136 in 2015. Before his professional career, Church was a four-time first-team All-MAC selection at the University of Toledo and a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist.
"Meridian's breakthrough computer vision technology has the potential to transform how athletes at every level measure and improve their performance," said Church. "Their ability to provide precision measurement through mobile devices democratizes access to elite-level analytics that was previously available only to professional organizations. I'm excited to help Josh, Dr. Cody Phillips, and the team bring these capabilities to professional sports, collegiate programs, and especially to youth athletes who deserve accessible, insightful, and engaging sports resources."
Church will advise Meridian on sports performance optimization, athletic use case validation, and market entry strategies for professional and collegiate sports. His extensive network of current and former NFL players, coaches, and sports performance professionals will accelerate Meridian's adoption within elite athletic organizations while supporting the company's commitment to youth sports development.
"Barry's appointment strengthens our position in the sports performance market," added Kohn. "His authentic voice, his access as an elite athlete, combined with his dedication to youth sports accessibility, will be instrumental as we scale our platform to serve athletes at all levels, from youth programs to professional organizations."
About Meridian Performance Systems
Meridian Performance Systems transforms mobile devices into precision measurement tools through breakthrough computer vision technology. Founded by CEO Josh Kohn (former Army Ranger, J.P. Morgan investment banker, and co-founder of DebtBook) and CTO Dr. Cody Phillips (PhD in AI/ML from UPenn specializing in computer vision metrology; and Co-founder of Avvir), Meridian's platform enables any camera to understand and measure the physical world with unprecedented accuracy. The company's mission is to harness technology to elevate mankind, not replace it, making people safer, healthier, and more capable in pursuits that matter. For more information, visit MeridianKPS.com
