hi, i'm jess

I'm Jessica Townsend, a full-stack web developer with five years of experience across WordPress, Shopify, and modern JavaScript, recently focused on integrating AI agents in development and content workflows.

this is me

I graduated from Purdue University in May 2021 with a B.S. in Web Programming & Design and a B.S. in Virtual Product Integration.

Currently, I'm a full-stack developer at the Thought and Expression Company, where my recent work has included a Next.js dashboard that consolidates data from multiple sources for in-house analysis, custom Shopify app development against the GraphQL Admin API, and custom WordPress plugin and Gutenberg block development. I also have prior experience at SFP, an agency based in Lafayette, IN, building and maintaining sites across a range of industries.

On the AI side, I design and build workflows around Claude Code, including custom skills for things like pre-meeting work summaries and GitHub issue implementation. I've also built Claude integrations for Shopify and WordPress that let agents publish posts and push updates directly.

I live in southwest Washington with my dog. In my free time I enjoy traveling, indoor rock climbing, and getting out to hike and camp in the national parks I moved out here for.

view my resume

explore my work

Here are a few projects I've worked on over the years. If you have any questions or want to know more, email me at jessicaat123@gmail.com.

collective world

A high-traffic astrology content site running on a custom WordPress theme. I've built out a few of its signature features over the years, including a birth chart calculator that pulls personalized charts from the Astrology API.

Location lookups for the birth chart calculator happen as the user types their birth city, with results cached to keep things responsive. I also set up a custom endpoint that surfaces the latest daily horoscope, so our other sites (on WordPress, Shopify, and elsewhere) can link straight to it without hitting the REST API to fetch the post themselves.

astrology api wordpress plugin dev

view it live

thought catalog

A large publication site on a custom WordPress theme. I worked on the redesign of the post and term archive pages and handle ongoing maintenance across the theme.

I've also worked on an AI publishing feature using the WordPress Abilities API that lets AI agents connect to the site through an MCP server and create posts and pages directly in the Gutenberg block editor. The integration gives agents a structured way to compose block-based content without needing to manually access the editor.

wordpress plugin dev ai integration

view it live

shop catalog

A Shopify storefront I maintain on a custom theme. My biggest project was the product page redesign, alongside redesigns of the video banner and featured product sections. I also led a refactor of CSS, JS, and image handling across the theme that cut roughly a second off our LCP.

I've also built a couple of internal Shopify apps backed by the GraphQL Admin API: one that lets Claude Code read and update store settings during development, and another that gives our custom dashboard read access to orders and store stats for analysis.

shopify ai integration

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cata blocks

A custom WordPress plugin that adds a library of Gutenberg blocks. Highlights include an advanced modal block that lets editors compose any block content inside a hamburger-style modal, and a REST API block that pulls data from configurable endpoints to surface post recommendations across our sites.

react wordpress block dev

view on github

teays river brewing

A live-updating taproom site for a restaurant and brewery in Lafayette, Indiana, on a custom WordPress theme. I integrated the Untappd API with a Vue front-end so the current beer selection updates as taps change throughout the day, letting customers check what's pouring before they head over.

vue untappd api wordpress

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ag alumni seed

A site for a popcorn hybrid supplier in Romney, Indiana that highlights the services they offer and showcases the popcorn seed varieties they produce. The site is built in Laravel and runs on EF3, the custom CMS developed and maintained by SFP.

laravel custom cms

view it live