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Joe Brennan joined The Field Museum in November 2005 as the Museum’s Vice President and General Counsel. 

As The Field Museum’s General Counsel Joe is responsible for managing the legal affairs of the Museum, including issues relating to intellectual property, collections management/cultural property, exhibitions, business affairs, education initiatives, and insurance.  Joe also directly spervises the Museum's repatriation activities (responding to requests for return of collection items from Native American and indigenous peoples from around the world. 

Joe also currently serves as Chief Information Officer for the Museum.  In this capacity Joe supervises the Museum's Technology department (including Information Technology, Web/New Media and social media).  Joe is responsible for providing technology support for the Museum's diverse operations; and he is also responsible for fostering broad-based innovation through digital media, including the ongoing development of the Museum's internet presence, and the development of mobile applications, social media strategies, and other digital media initiatives.

Prior to joining the Museum, Joe served as General Counsel and Secretary of T-Systems North America (a sister company to T-Mobile), the domestic arm of a multi-national telecommunications and IT outsourcing company owned by Deutsche Telekom.  Joe also previously held positions as corporate counsel at BlueMeteor Inc. (a Chicago-based IT company); the City of Chicago; and the law firm of Miller, Foucher, Chertow, Cafferty and Wexler in Chicago.