Michael and Connie Ponder of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter Emily Elizabeth Ponder to John Stephen Williams, both of Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Stephen and Nancy Williams of Dalton, Georgia.

Emily is a graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School. She received a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri and her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a civil-defense attorney with Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.

John is a graduate of Dalton High School. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration in international business and a Bachelor of Arts in German from the University of Georgia. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and is a criminal-defense attorney with Legal Aid Society of NYC.

A May 20 wedding is planned at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau.