Kalniņa-Lukasevica started her professional career in 1998 at the City Council of Jūrmala. Between 2003 and 2008 she worked for the Ministry of Regional Development and Local Government, first, as Deputy Director of Local Government Development and Reform Department and then as Deputy State Secretary. In 2011, Kalniņa-Lukaševica was elected to the Parliament (Saeima) of Latvia and served as Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee (2011-2014) and a chairperson of the Innovation and Research Subcommittee, while serving also as a member of the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee of the parliament of Latvia. She played an active role during Latvia's accession process to the OECD. In 2016, Kalniņa-Lukasevica received an award of the Cabinet of Ministers for a significant contribution to ensuring Latvia’s successful accession to the OECD.