There are two solutions for this problem. It depends if order matters or not. Since it is not mentioned in the problem, it is safe to assume that order does not matter and that choosing can be done at random. Then, this is a combination problem:
nCr = n!/r!(n-r)!
where n=13 because there are 13 qualified candidates, and r=8 because you choose 8 chiefs at a time
nCr = 13!/8!(13-8)! = 1,287 ways
