Laskaris joined the Foreign Service in 1991 and was first posted to Monrovia, Liberia as vice-consul, during the ongoing civil war. In 1993, Laskaris was posted to Gaborone, Botswana as political and economic officer, staying there for two years before serving as desk officer for Rwanda and Burundi. In 1997, Laskaris was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Luanda, Angola to be a political counselor.