Aug Prep Welcomes Keith Traska, Nghia Williams and Brita Willis to Lead New North Campus

St. Augustine Preparatory Academy (“Aug Prep”), a high-performing K4-12 Christian school, announced today the hiring of three dynamic and experienced educators to serve as the founding leaders for Aug Prep’s new North Campus. Keith Traska is Aug Prep North’s high school principal, joined by K4-8 principal Nghia Williams and K4-8 assistant principal Brita Willis.

With a shared commitment to excellence and the transformative power of Christ-centered education, Traska, Williams, and Willis will shape the culture and vision of Aug Prep North, which will open in fall 2026 on the former Cardinal Stritch University site. The new campus will build on the proven success of Aug Prep’s original South Campus while expanding access to high-quality Christian education for even more Milwaukee students.

“When I reflect on the successes we have been blessed with at Aug Prep, so many of them were possible because of our incredible team,” said Abby Andrietsch, CEO of Aug Prep. “As we prepare to open this ambitious new campus, I am thrilled to welcome Keith, Nghia and Brita. Through their leadership and commitment to Christ-centered education, Aug Prep North will thrive, empowering our students to soar into their future as leaders.”

About the New Leaders

Prior to joining Aug Prep North, Traska served as a principal at St. John’s Lutheran School in Minnesota, where he also was an adjunct math and education professor at a local college. He has 21 years of experience as a high school math teacher in both Christian and public schools.

Williams previously spent 14 years at Milwaukee College Prep, starting as an instructional assistant and eventually serving as Elementary Dean of Culture and as K-8 Principal. She also has first-hand mental health and trauma-informed care experience.

Willis joins Aug Prep after her time as the principal of St. Dominic Catholic School in Brookfield. She previously spent more than a decade at University School of Milwaukee as a lower school teacher, where she was department chair for both social emotional learning and social studies.

Building on Success

Founded in 2017, Aug Prep’s original South Campus is the #1 rated K-12 school in Milwaukee and one of the top-rated schools in Wisconsin. Aug Prep has exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations on the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction report card every year. Originally launched on the south side of Milwaukee with 595 students, Aug Prep has grown to serve nearly 2,400 predominantly low-income students of color.

Aug Prep South students are from nearly 50 different zip codes, a testament to the school’s broad reach across the Milwaukee region. For the 2025-26 school year, Aug Prep received over 3,900 applications for nearly 2,400 seats — a sign of the continued need for more high-quality schools in Milwaukee.

Now Aug Prep’s founders, the Ramirez family, and its supporters are investing more than $100 million to transform the former Cardinal Stritch University campus into Aug Prep North. The school will include state-of-the-art classrooms, as well as arts and athletics facilities for more than 1,500 K4-12 students. The North Campus is expected to open with approximately 330 K4-6th and 9th grade students for the 2026-27 school year.

Aug Prep North will feature a mix of tuition-paying students and students who qualify for school choice funding programs, creating a unique environment where students from different socioeconomic backgrounds can learn with – and from – each other. Students and families can visit augprep.org/comingsoon to learn more and indicate their interest.

To learn more about how you can support the vision for Aug Prep North, please reach out to invest@augprep.org.

About Aug Prep

St. Augustine Preparatory Academy (“Aug Prep”) was founded in 2017 with a vision to develop its students to be leaders of tomorrow known by their strength of character, courage, intellect, impactful contributions and their faith. Through its four pillars – faith, family, academics and arts/athletics – an Aug Prep education focuses on equipping the mind, body and soul of each child with excellence.

Aug Prep is proud to be the #1 rated K-12 school in Milwaukee. Every year since inception, Aug Prep exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations on the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) report card, with student academic growth in the top 5% statewide.

100% of Aug Prep’s graduating class of 2025 were accepted into 2-year or 4-year colleges or the military. Of those students, over 90% will be first-generation college students. The approximately 130-student Class of 2025 earned more than $34 million in scholarships – with 50% of the class earning full-ride scholarships to college.

Today, the school’s founding South Campus serves nearly 2,400 students, with 93% of students participating in the Milwaukee or Wisconsin Parental Choice Programs and approximately 6 percent participating in the Special Needs Scholarship Program. More information can be found at augprep.org or augprep.org/annualreports.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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