Paul Benjamin Ferrara (November 2, 1942 – May 30, 2011) was a scientist and administrator who pioneered the use of DNA profiling in America.
In 1988 Timothy Spencer, the "Southside Strangler", became first serial killer in the United States to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence.
Ferrara recognized the potential utility of the precedent that had been set in Spencer case, and immediately focused his political savvy on convincing the Virginia General Assembly to fund the creation of the first State DNA Database in the country.
The FBI had started its limited DNA laboratory operations just four months earlier.
A ceremony and reception was held at the Central Laboratory on November 18, 2011, to unveil the signage displaying the new building name.