Meet the Coaches
Suja Joseph-Malherbe, South Africa

Suja is passionate about leadership and systems engineering, with over two decades of experience across defense, commercial, and academic sectors. As the Director of Letter27, Suja offers consulting, training, and coaching services focused on systems engineering and personal leadership development.
Suja is actively engaged with INCOSE at both local and international levels, having held the position of President of INCOSE South Africa from January 2017 to December 2018. She was a member of the inaugural cohort of the INCOSE Technical Leadership Institute and joined the Institute as a coach in 2020.
An INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) and a Solution-focused Brief Coach (ICF-ACSTHs training), Suja also serves as a sessional lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), where she teaches postgraduate courses on systems engineering.
David Long, United States

For over 30 years, David has helped organizations around the world increase their systems engineering proficiency while simultaneously working to advance the state of the art. David is an internationally recognized leader within INCOSE and the greater systems engineering community. He works with government and commercial organizations as they assess, adopt, and deploy methods and tools to enhance their engineering enterprise.
Throughout his career, David has played a key technical and leadership role in advancing and expanding the practice of systems engineering. David founded and led Vitech where he developed innovative, industry-leading methods and software to engineer next-generation systems. Today, as President of Blue Holon, David continues to guide organizations as they advance their systems engineering capabilities and navigate their digital transformation.
An INCOSE Fellow and Expert Systems Engineering Professional (ESEP), David was the 2014/2015 President of INCOSE. David joined the TLI as a coach in 2019 and currently serves on the INCOSE Board of Directors as the Director for Strategic Integration.
Donna Long, United States

Donna has a passion for systems engineering and systems thinking across all aspects of life. After spending the first part of her career performing test and evaluation for satellites, she spent 25 years supporting the development and deployment of systems engineering software serving clients around the world. She managed the customer support and quality assurance teams while also serving as a systems engineering subject matter expert for the development team.
She joined INCOSE in 2017, volunteering to be on the event committee that manages INCOSE’s premier international conferences (IS) and workshops (IW). From July 2021 until Feb 2025, she served as INCOSE’s Associate Director for Events, leading the team to increase quality and attendance at each event.
She is an INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) and a member of Cohort 8 of the INCOSE Technical Leadership Institute. She joined the Institute as a coach in 2025.
Rob Schwenke, United States

Rob is a scientific engineer with nearly 35 years of experience in helping people find, filter, and fast track fresh ideas and strategies to address seemingly unsolvable problems. He has worked across various fields, including automotive, food, and solar, and holds a roster of patents in diverse areas such as antenna design, robotic motion, and printable sensors. For the past 10 years, he has focused on tackling complex national security challenges and advancing systems science initiatives.
An autodidact with interests in critical thinking, stoicism, and socioeconomic psychology, Rob is also a compelling storyteller who believes in fostering a culture of empowerment and collaboration. With a charismatic and passionate approach, he encourages his team to innovate and think creatively, all while maintaining a sense of humor. His mantra, "Say no to the status quo," reflects his commitment to challenging conventional thinking.
Rob has been an active member of INCOSE since 2017 and participated in TLI Cohort 8. He began his journey as a TLI coach in 2025, where he continues to inspire and guide others in the systems engineering community.