A former member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), he is now the president of the right-wing populist Homeland Movement (DP) since 9 October 2021.

During three semesters, he worked as an external associate for physical education and health at Lavoslav Ružički Polytechnic School in Vukovar.

[2][3] He gained his doctorate at the Faculty of Economics in 2010, with a thesis titled "Alignment of Vocational Education with the Labor Market".

[2] In 2014, Penava ran for mayor of Vukovar in early local elections as a representative of Croatian Democration Union (HDZ)-led coalition, and in the second round he defeated the previous mayor, Željko Sabo, who was an independent candidate with the support of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)-led coalition.

[11] In 2020, Penava announced his departure from the HDZ to join the right-wing populist Homeland Movement (DP) of Miroslav Škoro,[12] stating that he would "never and under no circumstances" be in a coalition with Milorad Pupovac and his Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS).