Lei Zhang’s campaign for soil and water conservation district supervisor is his first run for public office.

Lei is a professor of physics at Winston-Salem State University. He serves as a board member for the Piedmont Regional Workforce Development Board and the Forsyth County Agricultural Advisory Board. Lei also serves as the secretary for the National Association Academia of Science (NAAS). Previously, he served as a board member and treasurer for Yadkin Riverkeeper Inc., a board member for Piedmont Environmental Alliance (PEA), and a committee member for the Winston-Salem Sustainability Advisory Council Committee

Lei has a bachelor's degree from the University of Science & Technology of China, master's degrees from Florida International University and Louisiana Tech University, and a doctorate in applied physics from the University of Texas at Arlington.