Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Hicks and James Willis of Rome announce the engagement of their daughter, Ellen MarthaAnn Willis, to Stephen Jeffrey Ward, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Ward, also of Rome.

Miss Willis is a 2008 honor graduate of Rome High School and a 2012 graduate with honors of Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, summa cum laude.

The bride-to-be is the sister of Virginia Willis and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Scott Jr. of Marietta and Rev. and Mrs. Harold Willis of Blue Ridge.

Ward is a 2008 honor graduate of Rome High School and a 2012 graduate of Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and an additional certificate in Public History. He will begin work as a Program Intern for the Glisson Camp and Retreat Center in Dahlonega in August.

The groom-to-be is the brother of Ryan Ward and the grandson of Paul Hardy of Rome and the late Jewell Hardy as well as Clyde Newman of Rome.

The wedding ceremony will be held at Second Avenue Baptist Church on July 7, 2012. A reception will follow at the Ford Dining Hall at Berry College.