[citation needed] After high school, Zemke enrolled in and attended Michigan State University, studying Mechanical engineering and obtaining undergraduate and master's degrees in this field.

In 1935, his grandfather Frederick "Fritz" Zemke left the University of Michigan to start a business out of his parents' Spring Street garage, operating vending machines and jukeboxes in local establishments.

[6][failed verification] Zemke remains a strong supporter of Formula SAE, serving as Presentation Event Captain and a member of the organizing committee for the competition held annually in Michigan.

on the board of trustees for the SAE Foundation,[8] helping to encourage STEAM educational experiences for pre-K through high school students in classrooms all over the country.

Following the completion of his master's degree, Zemke joined Demmer Corporation as a project lead engineer in their machining division.

[citation needed] A year after joining the company, Zemke was promoted to Program Manager, where he was one of two engineers tasked with helping to grow Demmer Corporation's presence in the private plane and commercial aerospace markets.

[citation needed] During a company trip to Wichita, Kansas, Zemke and his colleague visited a factory where production had slowed significantly during the recession.

[citation needed] Zemke faced Pittsfield Charter Township Trustee Andrea Brown-Harrison in the Democratic primary election, where he won with 62% of the vote.