[2] The son of Christian missionaries, he grew up in Buôn Ma Thuột in what was then French Indochina (now Vietnam).

His final assignment was as commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, which provides shore support for the largest naval complex in the world.

[8] Retiring from the Navy after 30 years,[5] he became vice president of the Arlington Institute, a think tank specializing in futures studies.

[10] In his eleven years running the agency he established protocols for prevention and treatment that included "free distribution of insecticide-treated nets, indoor pesticide spraying, routine doses of malaria medicine for pregnant women, rapid blood tests for diagnosis, and a new fast-acting drug with one of the several longer-lasting drugs for treatment.

"[11] Ziemer then served as an administrator in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance within the U.S. Agency for International Development.

[18] Ziemer was awarded the 2015 Roger E. Joseph Prize by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion for his work on the President's Malaria Initiative.

[2] He was the commencement speaker for the Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in May 2015 and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

[19] Ziemer also received the 2015 Distinguished Service to Society Award from the alumni association of his alma mater, Wheaton College.