Mongolia Night at The Explorers Club

Benefiting the Gobi Dinosaur Museum

Join us for a rare evening of discovery, culture, and wonder

For one extraordinary evening, The Explorers Club will open its doors to an experience never before held in New York. Guests will enjoy rare access to original Central Asiatic Expedition artifacts, an immersive Mongolian cultural atmosphere with musicians and a traditional ger, and an exceptional culinary moment featuring Billy Sushi's live tuna carving with curated sake pairings.

From the legendary Flaming Cliffs—where dinosaur history was first unearthed—now comes a new legacy: the Gobi Dinosaur Museum.

Program Schedule

1

Cocktail Reception: Mongolian small bites with music (with vegetarian offerings)

2

Tuna Carving: The illustrious Billy Sushi

3

Sake Tasting: World Sake Imports with Chris aka The SakeNinja

5

Traditional Mongolian Performance

6

From the Central Asiatic Expedition to Mongolia's future: Dr. Bolortsetseg Minjin

7

An award winning architectural vision: Diana Kellogg

Live Auction: Extraordinary experiences, including a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Mongolia with Dr. Bolortsetseg Minjin and Diana Kellogg benefiting the Gobi Dinosaur Museum.

During the evening, guests will have the opportunity to learn more about joining the Museum's Founding Circle, a distinguished circle of visionaries shaping the Gobi Dinosaur Museum at this pivotal moment in its creation.

Reserve Your Place at the Gala

Every ticket purchased supports the development of the Gobi Dinosaur Museum, a new symbol of hope and discovery that will protect our fossil heritage and inspire the dreams and future of the local community.

Get Your Tickets →

Sponsors

BILLY

Owner of Billy Sushi

Billy is a nationally recognized sushi authority and two-time Global Sushi Challenge contender, representing the United States as one of the nine best sushi chefs in America—two years in a row.

Born in Mongolia, shaped by Russian influence, and formally trained in Japan, Billy’s path reflects a rare intersection of cultures, disciplines, and traditions. His work bridges precision and intuition, honoring classical technique while embracing exploration—both on the plate and beyond it.

He is the founder of Sushi Fix, Minnesota’s first sushi food truck—an unconventional idea that helped redefine Midwestern dining and later evolved into a brick-and-mortar destination in Wayzata. His entrepreneurial journey expanded across concepts, cuisines, and cities, before ultimately returning him to his culinary stronghold in Minneapolis’ North Loop—where his restaurants stand as cultural landmarks and he reigns as an icon, unmistakably crowned the “King of Tuna.

Chris (The Sake Ninja)

Thomas Campbell Jackson

Penny B. Jackson

Gerry Ohrstrom

Sophie Dia Pegrum

Hosts

Dr. Bolortsetseg Minjin

Paleontologist

Dr. Bolortsetseg Minjin is a renowned paleontologist dedicated to the preservation of fossils in her homeland, Mongolia. She established the Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs (ISMD), which has, over nearly two decades, conducted expeditions resulting in the discovery of new fossil species. Additionally, the institute has sponsored and trained Mongolian graduate students in paleontology and geology, and has inspired children in the remote Gobi Desert through on-site educational initiatives. In 2012, Bolortsetseg played a crucial role in preventing the sale of an illegally obtained skeleton of Tarbosaurus baatar from Mongolia, overseeing its repatriation, return, and exhibition within Mongolia. Since that time, she has led efforts to recover over 70 stolen dinosaur specimens.

Diana Kellogg

Founder and Principal Architect

Ms. Diana Kellogg is an award-winning architect and the Founder and Principal Architect, internationally recognized for her work at the intersection of sustainability, community engagement, and social advocacy. She is widely known for the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls' School in Rajasthan, a globally acclaimed project that exemplifies architecture as a catalyst for empowerment and social change. Diana is also the Founder of TARA for Change, a dual non-profit and for-profit initiative supporting arts, education, and cultural institutions with a focus on sustainability and women-led impact.

Victoria Meakin

Christina MacGillivray

David Mirkin

Karen Piacentini

Tyler Dillon

KG Giroux