Ada Lio
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 Lio at the Straight Pool Championship, October 28, 2022 | |||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname | The Iron Maiden | ||||||||
| Born | December 27, 1974[1] | ||||||||
| Pool career | |||||||||
| Sport | Pool billiards | ||||||||
Medal record
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Ada Lio (born December 27, 1974) is an American professional pool player, instructor, and health equity professional. She competes on the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) tour and serves in leadership roles both within the sport and in advocacy and strategy work focused on health care accessibility.[1][2] In 2025 she was ranked the 26th best female player by the WPBA.[3] Outside of sports, she is the executive director of the ZTTK SON-Shine Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to researching ZTTK syndrome, and a Director of Strategy at CVS Health.[4]
Ada Lio was born on December 27, 1974, in Jersey City, New Jersey, grew up in Jersey City and lives in Union City, New Jersey.[1] She began playing pool recreationally while attending Rutgers University, where she first developed interest in competitive billiards.[5]
She later earned a degree in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.[4]
Pool career
Lio began playing in organized leagues with the American Poolplayers Association (APA) in 2003, later competing in Billiards Congress of America (BCA) leagues and Tony Robles’ National Amateur Pool League (NAPL). She expanded her competitive reach to include regional tour events like the Tri‑State Tour and Predator events before joining the WPBA touring roster in 2018.[1][2]
Notable achievements include:
- 2014: Tri-State Tour Ladies Player of the Year[2]
- 2018: 1st place, NYC Pool Championships 8‑Ball Scotch Doubles[2]
- 2018: 1st place, Predator Tour (ABCD 9‑ball)[2]
- 2025 Dec: received her first international invitation to the Kamui Women's World 9-ball Championships in December 2025, a 64-player invitational in Jacksonville, Florida[6][7]
She has qualified for multiple US Amateur Championship Women's events and maintains an active presence on the WPBA and JPNEWT tours. Lio also instructs pool players and offers lessons emphasizing fundamentals and personalized improvement.[5]