WASHINGTON, DC – Nationally respected journalist and political expert Charles Mahtesian will serve as a keynote speaker at Armenian Cause 2.0, an innovative weekend-long training and educational seminar aimed at taking Armenian American advocacy to the next level, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.)

“We are pleased to share that Charlie Mahtesian will be featured as our keynote speaker for Armenian Cause 2.0, our national conference,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “There is simply nobody better in Washington – or anywhere else – at understanding the big picture and explaining all the complex issues and interests at stake in the 2012 election season. His presentation promises to be a highlight of a truly remarkable program.”

Mahtesian’s talk will be part of an array of insider presentations, interactive and hands-on training sessions, and visits to Capitol Hill, planned for Armenian Cause 2.0: Social Networks, Grassroots Power and Smart Advocacy, organized by the ANCA and ANCA Endowment Fund, Inc. The Washington, DC conference will be held June 24-27th at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. Mahtesian will discuss the political landscape of the 2012 elections and the challenges and opportunities of the coming electoral cycle. His remarks will be delivered on Sunday, June 26th, during the main conference luncheon.

The weekend’s educational schedule will be complemented by social and networking programming (all included in the registration fee) that features:

— A welcoming reception with a skyline view of the White House and the monuments on the Washington Mall.

— A private guided tour and “Tea on the Terrace” garden reception in the home of President Woodrow Wilson, the signer of the Arbitral Award, and the location of the famous Armenian painting, L’Esperance.

— A catered evening dinner reception at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia.

— A group visit and photo on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, overlooking the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol.

— An evening cruise past the monuments along the Potomac River, with drinks and food.

To register for the conference and take advantage of the special ANCA hotel rate of $149/night plus tax, visit https://www.anca.org/conference by May 27, 2011.

Mahtesian – Politics Reporting at its Finest.

Mahtesian is the national politics editor of POLITICO, the leading political news publication covering Congress and the Administration. Previously he served as editor of National Journal’s Almanac of American Politics, the biennial book often referred to as “the bible of American politics.”

A consumate politics reporter, Mahtesian spent eight years as a national correspondent for Governing magazine, where he covered state legislatures, governors and urban politics and previously with Congressional Quarterly, where he was also a contributing writer to the books “Politics in America” and “Congressional Districts in the 1990s.”

Mahtesian’s election night insights have been featured on National Public Radio, with his political analysis spotlighted on numerous radio and television programs, including NPR’s “All Things Considered,” MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” and on FOX News, C-SPAN, CNN and the BBC.