Mr. and Mrs. Jim Crawford, of Brookhaven, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Bethany Ruth-Ann Crawford, of Brookhaven, to James Keith Ballard Jr.

He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Keith Ballard Sr., of Brookhaven.

She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Olson, of Babbitt, Minnesota, Mrs. Nick Crawford and the late Mr. Crawford, of Ridgeland.

He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dow Hall and the late Mr. and Mrs. Plez Ballard Sr., all of Brookhaven.

The bride-elect is a 2010 honor graduate of Brookhaven High School. She received her Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Mississippi State University, graduating cum laude in May 2014. She was a Dean’s and President’s list scholar and was a member and vice-president of Sigma Phi Lambda Christian Sorority, a member and color guard captain of The Famous Maroon Band and a member of Gamma Beta Phi honor society. She is currently a first-grade teacher at Gary Road Elementary in Byram.

The prospective groom was valedictorian of the class of 2010 at Brookhaven High School. He received his Bachelor of Science in chemistry, graduating summa cum laude in May 2014. He was a President’s list scholar and a member of The Society of Scholars, a member of Phi Kappa Phi, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and a member of Gamma Beta Phi. He is currently completing his first year of dental school at The University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry.

The couple will exchange vows at First United Methodist Church in Brookhaven at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, May 30, 2015. A reception will follow at Mary Jane Lampton Auditorium.

All friends and relatives are invited to attend the wedding and the reception.