Robert Zemple grew up on a family dairy farm in central WI where he first learned the meaning of hard work and motivation. After graduating from UW-Oshkosh in 1980 with a BBA in accounting, Robert worked for Schumaker, Romenesko and Associates (SR&A), a local public accounting firm in Appleton, where he was promoted to shareholder in 1993. SR&A merged in 1999 with Virchow, Krause and Company (VK), a member firm with Baker Tilly. In 2008, VK adopted the Baker Tilly name, and Robert retired from Baker Tilly in September 2021 as partner. He led the firm's manufacturing/distribution industry team for 20 years.

Throughout his career, Robert has been involved in various boards, including positions on church boards, Heart of the Valley Chamber board from 1989 to 2021, Fox Cities Chamber board from 2014 to 2021, and a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants since 1983.

Robert and his wife, Cindy, have been married for 41 years and have three adult children and nine grandchildren.