Sanela Diana Jenkins (born Sanela Dijana Ćatić; 1973) is an

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

who was born and raised in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. She currently resides in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Jenkins fled her home country during the

siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav ...

and immigrated to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where she studied at

City University, London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...

Career

After graduating with a degree in Computer Science and Economics from

, she acquired the swimwear line Melissa Odabash. In 2009, Sanela created and launched the Neuro line of functional beverages based in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

where she currently is President and CEO. Diana Jenkins is the founder and CEO of D Empire Entertainment, a music label that represents emerging and established artists within the intersection of traditional and innovative media strategy, branding, publicity, recording, distribution and licensing. In 2021, Jenkins joined the cast of ''

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (abbreviated ''RHOBH'') is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment in ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has ...

'' for the twelfth season. She made her debut in May 2022.

Philanthropic activities

Sanela Diana Jenkins established The Irnis Catic Foundation in 2002 in memory of her brother who was killed during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

. The foundation provides essential funding to the medical facilities at the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the larges ...

. In 2009, Diana Jenkins was awarded the Peace Connection prize by the Center for Peace and Multi-Ethnic Cooperation. On May 5, 2018, Jenkins was honored at the Advisory Council for Bosnia & Herzegovina Gala in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

for her continued support and philanthropic activities in the country. Along with

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

Jenkins hosted an A-List fundraiser in Mayfair London in 2008 for the victims of Darfur, raising over £10 million. She established the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in August 2008. The clinic concentrates on legal advocacy, political advocacy and documentation. It is the first endowed program on international justice and human rights at any law school in the western United States. In 2009, Jenkins founded the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project along with Richard Steinberg. Together they hosted the Sanela Diana Jenkins Clinic on Gender Violence in Eastern Congo. The Clinic has established the Restore the Village Project, which is conducted a series of humanitarian interventions in villages affected by mass rape attacks, and is carefully studying the effects of these interventions in order to determine how to best help communities in need and better understand the phenomenon of mass rape. Immediately following the

2010 earthquake in Haiti A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capi ...

, Jenkins and actor

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

established the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization to deliver hospital supplies and provide medical care to thousands of displaced Haitians. She compared the long-term recovery in Haiti to that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighted the need for basic humanitarian aid, and argued that the U.S. military should not leave the country prematurely. In March 2010, Jenkins posted bail for former

President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents the Federation and is the head of the federal executive power. Term of the Federal President is 4 years. The post was established in March 1994. The election of the Federal Pr ...

Ejup Ganić Ejup Ganić (born 3 March 1946) is a Bosnian engineer and politician who is the founder and chancellor of Sarajevo School of Science and Technology. He served one term as President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1997 to 2001. ...

, who was detained in London on a Serbian extradition request. Sanela was honored with the Enduring Vision award by the

Elton John AIDS Foundation The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by rock musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care an ...

for her activism in the fight against

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. Sanela produced a photography book entitled "Room 23", photographed by

Deborah Anderson Deborah Leigh Anderson (born 16 December 1970) is an English musician, photographer, and film director. Her early music work was as a vocalist on her father Jon Anderson's albums. Her 1995 single "Feel the Sunshine" was her first song that char ...

. Many of the celebrities in the book are friends of Jenkins, including

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

. Proceeds from the sale of the book benefit several philanthropic programs. In 2022, Jenkins founded the Sunela Foundation with a donation of $100,000 for the victims of Lion Air Flight 601.

Personal life

In 1999, she married Roger Jenkins who was a prominent executive at

Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

. The couple met at the gym at the

Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer fortifications, defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe ...

, where Jenkins was living after the end of his marriage to his first wife, a banker at Barclays. They have two children together and later divorced.Cadwalladr, Carole
"Diana Jenkins: Accidental Philanthropist"

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

, 27 September 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-22. In 2020, Jenkins welcomed a child with then-boyfriend

Asher Monroe Asher Monroe Book (born September 18, 1988), known professionally as Asher Monroe, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor. In 2006, after starring in an extensive run of national tours including ''The Sound of Music'', ''Oliver!'', ...

. The couple subsequently announced their engagement. Jenkins later suffered a miscarriage. In December 2022, it was announced that the couple were expecting another child.

References

External links

* Solway, Diane.
Second Life: Diana Jenkins
. '' W''. July 2010. * SunelaFoundation.or

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Sanela Diana 1973 births Living people Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Businesspeople from Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United Kingdom British emigrants to the United States Yugoslav Wars refugees