In "Parks and Recreation," Retta plays Donna Meagle, the confident, no-nonsense office manager of Pawnee's parks department.
Donna is present from the show's pilot and initially appears as a recurring character before becoming a regular in season three. Although she often keeps her personal life private, she is portrayed as self-assured, financially comfortable, socially connected, and entirely unimpressed by the chaos around her coworkers.
The character's running jokes include her devotion to her Mercedes-Benz, her mysterious romantic history, and her habit of guarding personal details. Donna is also a part-owner of the Snakehole Lounge, a Pawnee nightclub. Her sharp observations contrast with the overenthusiastic Leslie Knope and the eccentric habits of the rest of the department.
Retta is the professional name of comedian and actress Marietta Sangai Sirleaf. Before acting full-time, she studied at Duke University and worked as a chemist while performing stand-up comedy. After Parks and Recreation, she became especially known for playing Ruby Hill on Good Girls, but Donna Meagle remains her signature television role.