Originially from Madison, Wisconsin, she spent two years at the University of Wisconsin (Go Badgers!) and majored in poli sci, sociology, government, psych and biology, with minors in drama and French, but never got her degree. She then broke up with her boyfriend and went to go join the Bartlet campaign. She hired herself.

After a brief interlude, she left the campaign to go back to her boyfriend, but only to come back to Josh two months later.

Donna's handwriting needs a little work, though her message-taking skills are excellent. She is now an expert on philatly, never brings Josh coffee, can be accused of being materialistic, and is Protestant. She buys dresses to wear with the intention of returning them the next day, played the flute but never met interesting men, has sensitive alabaster skin, gets left behind a lot on state trips, and thinks Yo-yo Ma RULES. She wonders why Josh questions her taste in men when she thinks David Hasselhoff is hot. (Donna sometimes isn't the brightest crayon in the box.) She is an excellent assistant however, and though her roommates' cats attack Josh when he appears on her doorstep drunk, takes care of Josh as sort of the sister he lost.

Her sense of humor is wild, and CJ thinks she has a criminal and devious mind. She's afraid of things falling out of the sky, is an economic Republican, and sometimes loses her underwear at dinner parties.